This One-Pan Lasagna Skillet has all the cozy, cheesy flavor of classic lasagna without the time-consuming layering. Made with ground beef, tender pasta, marinara sauce, and plenty of melty cheese, this easy skillet dinner comes together in one pan for a comforting weeknight meal the whole family will love.
If you love lasagna but don’t want to spend an hour assembling it, this recipe is for you.
Instead of layering noodles, sauce, meat, and cheese in a baking dish, everything cooks together in one skillet. The result is a hearty, saucy, cheesy lasagna-inspired dinner with much less work—and much less cleanup.
Why You’ll Love This One-Pan Lasagna
There are so many reasons this easy skillet lasagna has become a weeknight favorite:
- Everything cooks in one pan
- Ready in about 30 minutes
- No need to layer a traditional lasagna
- Made with simple ingredients
- Packed with protein
- Family-friendly and comforting
- Easy to customize
- Great for leftovers and meal prep
- Can be made with gluten-free pasta
It’s basically all the best parts of lasagna in an easier, faster format.
What Is Skillet Lasagna?
Skillet lasagna is a simplified version of traditional lasagna that’s cooked entirely on the stovetop in one pan.
Rather than assembling multiple layers and baking the lasagna in the oven, the pasta cooks directly in the sauce with the meat. Once everything is tender and flavorful, it’s finished with cheese and served straight from the skillet.
You get the same cozy combination of meaty tomato sauce, tender noodles, and melted cheese without all the extra steps.
A Balanced Dinner Option
We all know protein is having a moment, and for good reason. It’s an essential macronutrient, along with fiber and fat. All of which are packed into this one pan lasagna skillet thanks to the organic ground beef as a main ingredient, the brown rice lasagna noodles (which not only provide fiber, but brown rice is also high in micronutrients like selenium and magnesium), garlic, marinara sauce and broth. Who knew a pasta dish could be so nutritious?
It’s hard to top an easy, healthful, one pan meal, but if you’re not in the mood for pasta or just need to switch up the cuisine, try my One Pan Enchilada Skillet – an RGE classic and the most popular recipe on my site.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy one-pan lasagna:
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Organic ground beef
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Tomato paste
- Marinara sauce
- Chicken broth
- Lasagna noodles, Jovial Brand is my go-to
- Dairy-free ricotta, I like Kite Hill
- Shredded mozzarella or pasteurized goat cheese, optional
- Fresh basil and red chili flakes to serve
How to Make One-Pan Lasagna
1. Brown the beef
Heat a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil.
Add the ground beef and onion. Cook until the beef is browned and the onion is tender, breaking the beef apart as it cooks.
Add the garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds, until fragrant.
2. Add the sauce
Pour in the marinara sauce and stir to combine with the beef mixture.
Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
3. Add the noodles
Break the lasagna noodles into smaller pieces and add them directly to the skillet.
Stir everything together, making sure the noodles are covered with sauce.
Add the required amount of water or broth and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Cover the skillet and cook until the noodles are tender, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick together.
4. Add the cheese
Once the noodles are cooked, spoon dollops of ricotta over the top.
Sprinkle generously with mozzarella and Parmesan.
Cover the skillet again and let the cheese melt.
If your skillet is oven-safe, you can also place it under the broiler for a few minutes to get those golden, bubbly cheese spots on top.
5. Finish and serve
Top with fresh basil and extra Parmesan, then serve straight from the skillet.
That’s it—one pan, minimal cleanup, and all the comfort of lasagna.
Can I Use Gluten-Free Pasta?
Yes! You can make this recipe with your favorite gluten-free lasagna noodles or gluten-free pasta.
Keep in mind that different gluten-free pastas can cook differently, so check the package directions and adjust the cooking time or liquid as needed.
For the most reliable results, use a gluten-free pasta that holds its shape well during simmering.
How to Make This Lasagna Higher in Protein
Want to make this already satisfying dinner even more protein-packed?
Try:
- Using lean ground beef or ground turkey
- Adding extra meat
- Using a higher-protein pasta
- Adding cottage cheese to the cheese mixture
- Serving with a protein-rich side salad
The easiest option is simply choosing a higher-protein pasta and keeping the generous portion of meat and cheese.
| Golden melted cheese topping on homemade skillet lasagna |
What is the best type of sauce for lasagna?
Ideally, you want to use a marinara sauce that’s on the thicker side in terms of consistency, which allows the pasta to be flavored in the best way possible. Store-bought marinara totally works, but if you’re feeling fancy, option to prep a homemade marinara ahead of time.
Although you want to try to avoid sauces that are too liquid, don’t worry if you have a different kind of tomato sauce on hand and want to use what you already have. Just keep an eye on the consistency as you add all of the other ingredients, especially the broth (you could always use a little less broth than what’s called for to account for a sauce that is more liquid-based).
Try These Other Delicious Pasta Dinners:
Spicy Penne alla Vodka with Meatballs
Dairy-Free Garlicky Cheesy Pasta Sauce
Looking for more healthy recipes? Check out my New York Times Best Selling Cookbook, Rachael’s Good Eats. 110+ easy, laid-back, nutrient-rich recipes.
Click here to watch the reel I made of this recipe 🙂
One Pan Lasagna Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb organic ground beef
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 7 uncooked lasagna noodles, we used Jovial Brand GF
- 6 oz ricotta cheese, we used Kite Hill dairy-free
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella or goat mozzarella cheese, optional
- Fresh basil and red chili flakes to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Add in the ground beef and break up with a wooden spoon or meat masher. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Once the beef is just browned, add the tomato paste and stir until well combined into the meat. Add the sauce and broth and stir. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then break up the lasagna noodles into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Stir to combine, cover and reduce heat to low to simmer. Stir every 5 minutes to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- After about 15 minutes, the liquid should be absorbed and the noodles cooked. Feel free to adjust the cooking time until you reach the desired consistency (keep in mind that a little liquid is ok, it will thicken up when it starts to cool!).
- Add the ricotta to the skillet and gently stir in. Top with shredded mozzarella or pasteurized goat cheese and cover for about a minute or until cheese is melted.
- Serve with fresh basil, red chili flakes and season to taste.
This recipe is a go to in our house! My husband requests this meal almost weekly because it is so good. Comes together so quickly and easily with simple ingredients. Another amazing recipe from Rachael!
This was amazing! I usually spend hours preparing lasagna and this recipe was concise, delicious, and took wayyyyy less time. 10/10
Do you need the bone broth? Mu husband has histamine issues and that’s something we need to avoid. This recipe looks delicious though, just wondering on substitution.